By ‘historic building’ we mean a building built before the mid-20^th century. Before considering any building or energy efficiency projects on a historic building, it is important to look at how they differ from modern buildings in terms of construction:

• Due to the traditional building techniques, historic buildings are often highly thermally efficient. Many have thicker walls and smaller windows than modern buildings, meaning they are cooler in the hotter months and stay warm in winter.
• The materials used in traditional methods of construction are highly energy efficient and durable. Historically, the materials would be locally sourced and did not require significant amounts of energy to produce.
• Historic buildings made using traditional materials and techniques behave differently to modern buildings as they need to ‘breathe’ – to allow low levels of moisture in and out of the building. Modern building products can trap in moisture resulting in long lasting harm to building fabric and ongoing maintenance problems.

Before starting any work, it is important to make sure that you have a firm understanding on how the work you are planning will impact the building as a whole, both in the short and long term.

• The Historic England website has a wealth of practical advice and guidance about making historic buildings more energy efficient.
• The Planning Portal Interactive House can be useful to demonstrate when planning permission, listed building consent or building regulations approval is needed.
• The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings offer detailed advice, including a technical advice phoneline.
• The Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance have some excellent technical advice, in particular their Responsible Retrofit Tool.
• The Council’s Historic Environment and Building Regulations Teams are pleased to offer specific advice.